Indonesian Islamist group Khilafatul Muslimin with ‘hundreds of thousands’ of members wants to build caliphate
- A group called Khilafatul Muslimin, that’s older than Isis, aims to turn the world’s most populous Muslim and democratic nation into an Islamic caliphate
- ‘That’s very dangerous for the republic of Indonesia as it’s in opposition with the philosophy and constitution of the country,’ terrorism prevention chief said
On May 29, the men converged in the east of capital Jakarta on motorbikes holding up banners bearing the words, “Greet the Rise of Islamic Caliphate”, in an incident which went viral on social media. A similar convoy occurred in Brebes, Central Java.
Police said the convoy belonged to an Islamist group called Khilafatul Muslimin, which aims to turn Indonesia, the democratic country with largest Muslim-majority population in the world, into an Islamic theocracy.
Based on data seized from the group’s headquarters in Lampung, Sumatra island, it has “hundreds of thousands” of members, CNN Indonesia quoted Jakarta police spokesman Endra Zulpan as saying. More than 2.3 billion rupiah (US$155,000) was also seized. At least 23 members have been arrested so far.
The emergence of Khilafatul Muslimin underscored the continued existence of extremist groups seeking to install Islamic rule in Indonesia, a secular democratic state.
Sofyan Tsauri, a former member of al-Qaeda Southeast Asia, told This Week In Asia that such underground groups opposing Indonesia’s democratic systems “will always be around”.